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Jelly Bean’s offspring Bertie Botts is an cute small “sweetheart”. The whale Orion – nicknamed “Onion” – is a sizeable but fiercely protective companion. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and moves like a worm. Lillooet the beluga is the “biggest cuddle bug” with a kind nature.

A group of thirty captive marine mammals in a Canadian entertainment facility have become pawns in a disagreement between a defunct facility, public officials and advocacy groups.

But those working directly with the whales say the intense controversy over their future often overlooks the individual traits of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been carefully observed by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government prevented the sale of the belugas to a foreign facility, the embattled amusement park near Niagara Falls where they are housed warned to put them down unless the federal government pays for the expense of their care. Canada’s fisheries minister has rejected that request, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Intelligent Marine Mammals

Scientists say that beluga whales’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, problem solving and social skills indicate they are deeply intelligent animals – something Kristy Burgess discovered personally.

She spent a significant period as a whale caretaker, a position that required earning the trust of the marine predators.

“Building up those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of love. At the beginning, they’re very unsure of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more open with you. It’s just so magical and fulfilling.”

Burgess knew the whales were very smart, but she says she was even so surprised by the details and quirks in their characters. She developed a particular love for a pair of whales with different natures.

“Eve chose me. Cleo made me earn it,” she said. “Both altered the way I view connection.”

Public Concerns and Facility Decline

Her interaction with the whales progressed against a background of growing public opposition to their confinement.

During her time at the facility, multiple belugas and the park’s one killer whale, Kiska, died. In all, 19 belugas have died at the park since recent years, a number which the facility ascribes to natural mortality, but which activists say reflects the substandard environment in which they were maintained.

The facility did not admit visitors to the public over the summer, but Burgess says she observed directly consequences of the closure. “Concrete is deteriorating from the enclosures because they’re falling apart and not being repaired. The whales are exploratory and so they pick it up and move about with chunks in their jaws. It’s upsetting to see.”

The park did not respond to a request for comment, but previously stated: “The whales … receive far higher quality veterinary services and constant supervision than any person in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Proposed Solutions

Burgess was dismissed from the park in early March following the demise of a beluga, an ailing beluga the caretakers had to euthanize. She said the park thought details of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was let go not long after.

The ambiguity over the whales’ fate has left her and other caretakers in anguish. She says the facility’s threat to euthanize its whales is a bargaining chip and is a “extremely difficult” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a one beluga would require “significant staff”, vehicles and specialized tools.

“It’s impossible in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess advocates for demands for the whales to be taken right away from the facility, with its deteriorating pools and reduced personnel.

In the autumn, the nation’s government official turned down a request to transfer the whales to an overseas location.

“To approve the request would have meant a ongoing situation in enclosure and a reversion to public entertainment,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that belugas are meant for the sea, not in pools for our entertainment. I could not in good conscience approve an export that would continue the conditions these belugas have experienced.”

But Burgess said the official’s statements indicate a wider incorrect perception of the facts of living conditions for belugas raised in confinement.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t understand that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Sanctuary Proposal and Continuing Discussion

As officials attempt to find a resolution, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. An idea called for the belugas to be let go into the natural habitat of northern regions – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A planned protected area in the province of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has been highly debated. The prospective facility, which includes 100 acres of enclosed sea water, remains undeveloped. Proponents remain hopeful that it could eventually represent a sustainable resolution for some of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among staff she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “merely an trial” in the whales’ fate.

Others say the possibility of a protected habitat reflects a worldwide trend away from zoos and aquariums and could represent a workable plan in the short term.

An official, head of the plan, said the facility will mimic the intellectual stimulation and diet the whales obtain from trainers, albeit in a more expansive area. He said after the health of whales is fully assessed, which could take months|an extended period|